Well according to LR4YT, 5HTP is fine for O's, in fact recommended on Page 132.

But according to several threads here on the forum, it is not recommended for O's.

Has there been an update on this supp. that is not in the books?

I took a 50mg for the first time last night and rested very nicely and feel pretty good this morning. I took it because I'm working on raising my serotonin levels.

Also I took a 200 mg SAM-e this morning. I don't expect results for a week or two on this as I understand it takes that long.

I know many of you have experiences with SAM-e, here are some questions:

-Do you have to increase the amount you take as time goes on?- Can you stop it at a certain point maybe after the benefits have built up in your system?- Do you have a good online source that is reasonably priced?- And any personal experiences on this would be appreciated like what type of results you experienced, how long did it take, ect.

5 HTP is okay but it is sourced from Griffonia simplicifolia, which is not okay. Search for griffonia for more info there.

I did use SAMe for a few years (pre-BTD) at 200mg/day with good results. I found higher amounts gave me anxiety! The dosage should not need to increase over time. If you are not using Rhodiola, L-theanine or tyrosine, I would try those first.

5 HTP is okay but it is sourced from Griffonia simplicifolia, which is not okay. Search for griffonia for more info there.

I did use SAMe for a few years (pre-BTD) at 200mg/day with good results. I found higher amounts gave me anxiety! The dosage should not need to increase over time. If you are not using Rhodiola, L-theanine or tyrosine, I would try those first.

So if there any 5-HTP out there that is not made from this seed? Also I did a search here and could not find any threads on it... ?

My friend thinks that sam-e is helping her sleep....if this is so, I will be taking it !!!! she took it initially for arthritis but said it didn't help that but helped her sleep really well....what do you guys think? I need help sleeping!!

5 HTP is okay but it is sourced from Griffonia simplicifolia, which is not okay. Search for griffonia for more info there.

Hi Lloyd... I have this 90 bottle capsule of 5-Htp, 50 mg.. how bad do you think it would be to finish these up since I can't return them? I've ordered some straight typtophen powder to start taking instead, but in the meantime?

l'tryptophane is THE precoursor to build up serotonine...so what...go for it in cases of depresssions... similar to 5HTP but not a plant but an aminoacid.... I use this also for my clients with best results....

Well, I think I'm having some energy and a brighter outlook from taking the 50mg of 5Htp at night and the SAM-e during the day. I take the SAM-e in the morning on an empty tummy. The only thing is, is that in the afternoon, I feel a little bit headachy... don't know if this is from the SAM-e wearing off or?

Thanks for the suggestion, but I can't do dopamine. I have plenty of the stuff running around in my bloodstream and brain.

I've tried L-tyrosine and it's a no go for me. Really puts me in a strange mental place.

I test low on serotonin. I feel it's from inherited brain chemistry. A long history of alcoholics and sugar addicts in my family, my Mother who is still in denial about it as she has to eat any and all sugar items if they are in her house. Like an entire pie, or gallon of ice cream or a box of cocoa krispies. Sister was a meth addict. Grandparents heavy alcoholics.

Me, I've been back and forth with the sugar addiction all my life. The only time I've been able to stay clean is when I follow Dr. D's plan... first the BTD and now GTD; and when I adhere to a bottom line for myself. "No ramdon eating inbetween 3 Moderate meals per day, no matter what." And this tool comes from Becky Jackson's book "Diets, A Dry Drunk." A book based on 12 step work with additional tools for the chronic dieter and overeater.

This works for me. I currently have homemade fudge in the freezer made with all compliant ingredients. I usually have 2 small pieces with my lunch. Today I didn't need to. I could have had it with dinner, but instead I was craving a banana.

So I hope to break the chain of addiction in my family and so far I feel that upping my serotonin with a very small dose is helping.

And this SAM-e thing is intriguing me. So I'd still like to hear physical experiences. I have read now and again a post here and there praising it...

To get off the 5Htp my NP wanted me to start taking straight pure tryptophan.. which I will be doing as soon as it arrives in the mail!

methylcobalamin (the active form of B12) probably does the same functions more reliably than SAMe. SAMe is also very expensive if you take the recommended doses.

BTW it is not easy to find methylcobalamin. Most stores stock cyanocobalamin, which is the inactive form that requires conversion to the active form. I think the company Biotherapeutics does make a consumer version.

I only have good results with O's and sam-e....makes them calmer and relaxter...it is at the same time a very good detoxer for the liver system....ahem I think I heared something about disturbances & liver chi

"BTW it is not easy to find methylcobalamin. Most stores stock cyanocobalamin, which is the inactive form that requires conversion to the active form. I think the company Biotherapeutics does make a consumer version."

You know... it's funny... I took NAP's B-12 for over a year and didn't notice much. I wish I would have, as I do not like the high price of SAM-e.

I only have good results with O's and sam-e....makes them calmer and relaxter...it is at the same time a very good detoxer for the liver system....ahem I think I heared something about disturbances & liver chi

I certainly have had liver issues. I had Hep B as a child and I currently have hemochromotosis.

What is this glutamic acid? Is it prevelant in beef?

Never mind.. just looked it up. Eggs and beef. And man we get plenty of those!

My NP has suspected in the past that because of my iron overloads that at times supp's and food nutrients may not be getting absorbed as much as they could.

glutamic acid is the precursor for GABA also a neurotransmmitteris ++ for nervhealth especially for O's and also a fine forinflammations in the gut....f.ex. leaky gut syndrome, Colitis ulcerosa etc.But it also cleares up the mind and relaxes as well ...

It is marked ok also for AB's...can't find that as true...it made me hyper..hyper...extrahyper... thatswhy I changed tol'tyrosine & l'arginine and feel just great.....

I have commented in Italics on the sections I underlined. This research has been a key for me as I hone in closer and closer to feeling really great on the Hunter eating regime and figuring out the final pieces of my needed supplementation for healthy overall body/brain balance and health. However, I don't think that eating junky foods or eating avoids while trying to supp with the perfect pill that is supposed to cure all ills, will aide anyone. I feel that one needs to get the diet in line first and then begin to feel where one might still be lacking. BECAUSE the eating regime will take care of a lot of needs and many extraneous supp's you might not need. This is the stage of discovery I'm currently at.

TryptophanDietary SupplementHTML version Author: Kimberly Dick

Tryptophan has often been hyped as "nature's prozac" or "nature's serotonin solution." While certainly an exaggeration, these extravagant claims have some basis in fact.

Serotonin deficiency is often a major factor in depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and weight gain, to name a few. Simply supplementing serotonin when there is a deficiency would appear to be the easiest solution; however, since serotonin cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, direct supplementation with serotonin is in fact ineffective.

Most antidepressant drugs available today fall into the category of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil. These drugs work by preventing the excessive uptake of serotonin in the brain, leaving more available in the synapses between neurons. However, many of these drugs have considerable side effects, in addition to being fairly expensive.

Unlike serotonin, tryptophan (or more accurately, its breakdown product 5-hydroxytryptophan) can pass through the blood-brain barrier. Thus supplementation of tryptophan would appear to be a simple and natural alternative to SSRI drugs. Since tryptophan can be cheaply produced and is not regulated as a drug, it is a much cheaper alternative. As well, it does not have the side effects of many drugs as it is naturally occurring in the body.

Tryptophan on its own works best in depression cases where psychobiologic arousal is high, and serotonin production is inadequate to balance the effects of dopamine and norepinephrine - resulting in a anxious, agitated state. For more apathetic, vegetative depressive cases, tryptophan supplementation is more effective when combined with supplementation of tyrosine, a precursor to dopamine/norepinephrine.

The underlined sentence (besides feeling 'mood flat'), since really diving into the Hunter regime, is what I have been experiencing besides not sleeping well lately.. waking up in fear, etc. And I've discovered for 'myself' that I have and am getting plenty of dopamine from my diet; and I feel the missing link, (based on body and mind and testing by my NP), is a bit more serotonin which I plan to get from supplementing with pure tryptophan powder (not made from the Giffiola seed)!

Serotonin deficiency has been implicated in cases of obesity, as it is associated with the brain's perception of hunger and satiety. Excessive intake of sugars and other carbohydrates is known to increase brain serotonin levels. By increasing serotonin levels, tryptophan can function as an appetite suppressant at low doses, and is sometimes very effective for weight loss.

Whoa... been there done that!

As well, tryptophan has been successfully used as a sleep aid. Serotonin does play a role in sleep regulation, but more importantly, serotonin is the precursor to melatonin, a hormone crucial to the sleep cycle. On its own, melatonin supplementation has been shown to be an effective treatment for insomnia; however, combining melatonin with tryptophan may prove even more effective.